Runs Kagiya, Tokyo fireworks maker and show producer her family has owned for three centuries. Intricate displays light up Japanese skies every summer. At 38 is fifteenth family member to head company. It specializes in blowouts shaped by hand, she told German documentary crew profiling her. Judo champion and certified referee was a judge at 2008 Beijing Olympics. --Chana R. Schoenberger

Miu Hing (Alice) Au

Regional managing partner, Heidrick & Struggles, Hong Kong

Powerful headhunter placing financial executives throughout Asia; runs Heidrick's Asian chief executive and board search team. Started as semiconductor engineer at Digital Equipment. Switched to McKinsey, then did M&A for International Paper. Returned to Hong Kong in 1993. During first Internet boom took a year off from search to run strategic planning for AsiaContent.com. Yale engineering grad and Harvard M.B.A. speaks Cantonese and Mandarin. --C.R.S.

Mamata Banerjee

President, All India Trinamool Congress Party, India

Live-wire politician is now India's railways minister. Stunning success in recent federal election ended decades-old domination of left parties in West Bengal state. Postelection, joined Congress-led government though she'd left party decade ago. Notoriety last year from leading farmers against Tata's low-cost Nano car factory, which forced automaker to relocate. --Naazneen Karmali

Leong On Kei (Angela)

Director, SJM Holdings, Hong Kong and Macau

Wife of casino mogul Stanley Ho finds herself at crossroads following Ho's two brain surgeries in early August. Among his 4 wives and 17 children, she's widely expected to take control of Hong Kong-listed SJM's 16 casinos, 4 slot parlors and Macau's Grand Lisboa Hotel. Now 47; grew up poor in Guangdong, became Macau dancer and casino worker before meeting Ho. Holds posts and stakes in both SJM Holdings and unlisted parent STDM. --Vivian Kwok

Margaret Leung

Chief executive, Hang Seng Bank, Hong Kong

In May became first female chief of big HSBC unit Hang Seng, in charge of 220 branches and 9,700 staffers. Three decades at HSBC; 56-year-old helped set up Australia arm is working with credit and risk management, retail banking and international corporate accounts. New brief: speed up Hang Seng's development in China, with 34 branches opened in the last two years. --V.K.

Kristie Lu Stout

Anchor, CNN International, Hong Kong

Hosts CNN Today morning program. Got journalism start at Wired's Web site in San Francisco; reported tech in print and online, wrote "Beijing Byte" column in South China Morning Post. Joined CNN in 2001 to cover tech. Show and reporting have won the 34-year-old accolades; covered run-up to Beijing Olympics, Indian Ocean tsunami, inter-Korean tensions. Stanford grad studied Mandarin at Tsinghua University. --C.R.S

Roshni Nadar

Chief executive, HCL Corp., India

Only child of tech billionaire Shiv Nadar. His HCL Technologies is India's fourth-largest software firm. In line to inherit an estimated $1.7 billion. American-educated Roshni, 27, has M.B.A. in social enterprise management and strategy from Northwestern's Kellogg School. After stints at Sky News and CNN came back home to start working with Dad. Appointed chief executive of HCL Corp., the holding company, in April. Is also a trustee of the Shiv Nadar Foundation, where she's overseeing the rollout of rural schools aimed at the poor. --N.K.

Harvard biz school grad took father's 100-worker textile factory global. Now has 47,000 employees, factories around developing world producing 60 million garments a year. Clients include Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo Boss, Brooks Brothers, Banana Republic, Burberry. Became chairman and chief executive in 1995. The company is increasing its presence in China's unrest-ridden Xinjiang region; Esquel opened a new mill there in May and last fall placed a retail shop in capital Urumqi for its PYE shirt brand, part of a 10-store rollout across China this year. Also part-time partner in venture capital fund Redpoint China. Sits on Hong Kong Executive Council (appointed in January), advising the region's chief executive. --V.K.